ADVERTISING THE INDUSTRY – The 1960s
The 1960s were a time of incredible innovation and change … Music – the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and many bands became popular on a worldwide basis … Technology – Color TV became “the standard” for this growing medium … Science - The Space Program began and culminated with the Apollo 11 Moon Landing (1969) …. Culture – The “Hippies” with their long hair, psychedelic clothes and “bell bottom” jeans brought a spirit of freedom and new ideas to our culture.
Massive building projects took place in the 1960s. Among the more notable … Seattle Space Needle (1962) … The Astrodome in Houston (1965) … and the St Louis Gateway Arch (1967). In fact, skyscraper construction (buildings over 500 feet in height) in the 1960s began to boom. Some 47 were built in the 1960s as compared to a total of 41 built from 1900-1959. Finally, the US Interstate System experienced tremendous growth during this decade. Some 20,995 miles of interstate were constructed in the 1960s which represents 49% of the total system as congressionally designated (42,795 miles)!
Huge special events took place during this time. The Seattle Worlds Fair in 1962 and the New York Worlds Fair in 1964 drew hundreds of thousands of people to these events. In the world of music, outdoor concerts grew in popularity and number with the largest being the Monterey Pop Festival in California (1967) and the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in New York (1969)
There was astonishing growth in CONSTRUCTION and in SPECIAL EVENTS during the 1960s. Is there any reason why our industry would not share this growth? Of course not!
Here are some examples of advertising in the 1960s …
KNOXVILLE SENTINEL NEWSPAPER (Knoxville, TN) – June 18, 1963
As we saw in “ADVERTISING THE INDUSTRY – The 1950s,” the term “Portable Chemical Toilet” is still used in some ads in various parts of the country during the 1960’s.
The interesting part of this ad from the Knox-Tenn Rental Company is the “Lightweight, aluminum construction – easy to move.” While many wooden units were still “homemade” by the portable restroom operators, aluminum construction infers units being manufactured and then sold to restroom companies.
Are any of our readers familiar with aluminum-constructed units and any manufacturers that produced such units? If so, please share your historical knowledge.
LEXINGTON HERALD NEWSPAPER (Lexington, Kentucky) – November 24, 1963
This ad from A-1 Sanitation boldly proclaims “The Revelation In Health” and continues with “Fiberglass Sanitary units are as modern as the space age.” Mass-produced fiberglass units were starting to replace homemade wooden units as our industry was beginning to grow.
As we saw in the 1950s ads in a previous “Industry Artifact,” the phrase “Approved by Health, Education, and Welfare” conveyed to customers that these units met standards of cleanliness and proper sanitary practices.
HARTFORD COURANT NEWSPAPER (Hartford, Connecticut) – April 4, 1965
In the spirit of new technology of the 1960s, Sanitation Control introduces mobile office trailers in addition to “portable chemical toilets.” Although limited to “Branch Banks and Used Car Lot Offices,” this product diversification shows creativity in our industry. In the coming decade, restrooms inside these trailers will become a reality.
NEWS-RECORD NEWSPAPER (Neenah, Wisconsin) – June 8, 1965
A popular word in the 1960’s – “revolutionary” – is used effectively in this ad by Bill Weber Sales. “Revolutionary Development in Portable Chemical Toilets” is the tagline in this ad. “Molded fiber glass” is the development and it is described as “durable, sanitary, attractive.” As with the ads from the 1950s, the public needed to be educated about new products.
Notice that mention is also made of the fact that “Chemical decomposes deposits.” It is not known if the “chemical” contains any dye to mask the contents of the tank. “Blue” dye becomes the industry standard in the coming years as the deodorizer industry is born.
FUN FACT: Neenah is a small town located some 40 miles southwest of Green Bay. The Kimberly-Clark Paper Company was founded in Neenah in 1872.
CLARION-LEDGER (Jackson, Mississippi) – February 27, 1968
George C. Wade Co, Inc displays a fiberglass unit with very effective educational yet interesting phrases:
While emphasizing the reduction in workers’ downtime and increased efficiency, the company also conveys cleanliness, regular service, and “meets specifications.”
The humorous statements of “a new service for an old urge” and “no hole to dig” add interest to their advertisement.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Advancements and improvements in our industry require communication to the general public. With more construction and special events during this decade, our industry had to meet the demand for more product and manufactured fiberglass units were the solution. With the significant growth in our industry during the 1960s, perhaps a national association was needed. Stay tuned … 1971 was the year!
For even more interesting facts on the history of our Industry and of our Association, click on the link below and order your History Book today. All proceeds benefit the PSAI Scholarship Program.